The Way People Walk in Cities Has Changed – Newsweek
- GVF TMA
- Jul 30
- 1 min read
By Lucy Notarantonio
City living has long been described as fast-paced. Now, there's data to prove just how much faster it has become.
A new study out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reveals that pedestrians in three major northeastern U.S. cities—Boston, New York and Philadelphia —are moving 15 percent faster than they did in 1980.
Newsweek discussed the findings with Ruth Conroy Dalton, a professor of Architecture at Northumbria University in the UK. She said: "A rise in walking speed shortens the average street journey by about 13 percent, which means fewer seconds in which passer‑by interactions, eye‑contact, or simply 'being present' can occur."
The same study found that fewer people are lingering in public spaces, with the number dropping by 14 percent over the past three decades.
